2015 National Fire Prevention Week: Bedroom Smoke Alarms

October 4-10, 2015, is National Fire Prevention Week, sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The theme this year is “Hear the beep where you sleep,” and it serves as a reminder to have a working smoke alarm in every bedroom. Most people are asleep when about half of all home fire fatalities occur, which is between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. When there is a fire, smoke spreads quickly. Smoke alarms are critically important because they give people time to escape. The odds of dying in a fire are cut in half by having working smoke alarms in recommended locations, such as all bedrooms.

Why Fire Prevention Week was Started

Fire Prevention Week was originally established as a commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire that occurred over a two-day period in 1871. More than 250 people were killed in that fire. In addition:

• 100,000 people were left homeless.
• 17,400 structures were destroyed.
• 2,000 acres total were burned.
• The fire began on October 8 but did the worst damage the next day.

If you’ve ever heard about Mrs. Catherin O’Leary’s cow, you’ve heard the legend about how the terrible Chicago Fire started, but the true cause was never discovered. You may not have heard about the less famous but even more devastating fire that also occurred on October 8, 1871. In Northeast Wisconsin, the most devastating fire in U.S. history occurred. Sixteen towns were destroyed, 1,152 people were killed, and 1.2 million acres were scorched. The blaze was dubbed the Peshtigo Fire.

The first annual National Fire Prevention Week was the first week of October in 1922.

Fast Facts About Fire

The danger of fires is at the forefront of these annual fire prevention weeks, and the hope is that people in every community will get the important messages about fire safety. The following are some fast facts shared as part of this year’s event:

• About one-fourth of all 2013 home fire fatalities were caused by fires that began in a bedroom.
• In 2013: 2,755 fatalities and 12,200 civilian injuries occurred in the U.S. as a result of approximately 369,500 home structure fires. Direct damage amounted to about $7 billion.
• The leading cause of home fire injuries was cooking and the second was heating equipment.
• The leading causes of home fire fatalities are smoking materials.
• Most fatal fires, on average, result in one or two fatalities. In 2013, there were 12 home fires that killed five people or more. Those 12 fires alone resulted in 67 deaths.
• Between 2007 and 2011, three of five home fire fatalities were caused because there were no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
• Hardwired smoke alarms have proven to be more reliable than battery-powered smoke alarms. In fires large enough to activate a smoke alarm, alarms that were hardwired operated 93% of the time, but battery-operated alarms worked only 79% of the time.
• The first thought when hearing a smoke alarm should be to get out immediately. In one research study, only 8% of people surveyed knew to get out without delay after hearing a smoke alarm.

Check out the ABC’s of Fire Safety with your children with this Sparky the Fire Dog video –

There are many more statistics and interesting facts about fires, safety, and prevention, at the NFPA website. There is also a Fire Prevention Week Quiz.